PCID

“Religion Belongs to the Nature of Man,” headlined the Italian edition of L’Osservatore Romano on August 9, 2017, which published a reflection of French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue.

For the Cardinal, to “exclude religion from reason is equivalent to amputating man created in the image of God,” and he reminds that “there can’t be disagreement between faith and reason,” echoing ideas of Benedict XVI’s address at Regensburg in September 2006.

“We should be proud of our faith, because it offers a future to humanity,” explains Cardinal Tauran, thus situating the inter-religious dialogue, which “always begins with the profession of one’s own faith, always avoiding syncretism.” “Christianity is not a thought but a fact: God became man.” The dialogue “in truth” is to “promote a world where justice and peace dwell.”

“Following the previous Agreement of May 28, 1998, and in the light of addresses of Pope Francis and of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Mohamed al-Tayyeb during the historic peace conference at Cairo last April 28, the common engagement is express to pursue the shared reflections, geared to promoting a fruitful and effective inter-religious dialogue, centered in particular on the promotion of peace and the building of a more just world.”

The Vatican’s dicastery for Interfaith and Interreligious Dialogue has been meeting on the topic of the role of women in interfaith and inter-religious activity. (In practice, at the local and grassroots level, women are centre and front of interfaith efforts, including dialogue.) Here, we bring you the address of Pope Francis to this plenary meeting of the dicastery.